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75-year-old human cloned for the production of stem cells
Submitted by l33tdawg on Fri, 2014-04-18 05:02
Several years ago, as the therapeutic potential of stem cells was first being recognized, the only way to create them was to harvest cells from an early embryo. That embryo could come from the large collection of those that weren't used during in vitro fertilization work. But to get one that was genetically matched to the person who needed the therapy, researchers had to create an embryo that's a genetic duplicate of that individual—meaning they had to clone them.
Linux powers CERN -- organization deploys Red Hat technologies
Submitted by l33tdawg on Wed, 2014-04-16 07:04
My knowledge of atomic science and particle physics could fit in a thimble. However, as a result of various news reports over the years, I am aware of the Large Hadron Collider and the work being done at CERN with it -- exciting stuff.
Genetic risk of Alzheimer's has gender bias
Submitted by l33tdawg on Tue, 2014-04-15 04:47
Carrying a copy of the "Alzheimer's gene" doesn't significantly raise a man's risk of developing the disease.
The gene does increase a woman's risk, but women with one copy of the gene were as likely to develop the disease as men with no copies. The study – along with work suggesting that the gene is associated with educational achievement in young people – highlights how much remains to be done to untangle the genetics of Alzheimer's.
NIST launches an atomic clock 3 times more accurate than the last
Submitted by l33tdawg on Mon, 2014-04-07 04:22
Earlier this week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) officially launched an atomic clock that is three times as accurate as the one used today to do everything from synchronize GPS systems to time-stamp financial transactions.
The previous atomic clock, called NIST-F1, was launched in 1999. It was accurate to within plus or minus one second over the course of 100 million years. The newly launched atomic clock, called NIST-F2, is accurate to within plus or minus one second over 300 million years.
Catching cancer: The riveting quest for a killer virus
Submitted by l33tdawg on Wed, 2014-04-02 00:22
FEW words have the power to induce terror: cancer is one, virus another. Imagine, then, the awful potency of something that merges the two.
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a curiosity, as well as a killer. Around 95 per cent of us are infected with it, but it rarely has symptoms. When it does, the virus manifests in many guises. The childhood cancer of the blood Burkitt's lymphoma, glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis) and MS have all been associated with Epstein-Barr.